I Found You
by Devyn88
Summary: "The casket has been underground for less than half a century. Surface shows slight decomposition due to being under ruble (rather than soil). A cave-in is a plausible cause for all the loose rocks. Though why this casket is here in the first place is still unknown." .:Bubbline: :Bubblegum/Marceline: :Rating Subject to Change:.
1. Prologue

_This is an AU that I've been sitting on for a really long time. The beginning is based off of a comic drawn by a friend I had on DeviantArt in 2013. It's been a while. Reviews and comments are much appreciated._

* * *

Starchy swept his broom back and forth over the hard rock ground of the old Abandoned Mine. Princess Bubblegum wanted to clean the tunnel up for a multipurpose area. From a lab for toxic experiments, to prison cells for the extremely dangerous.

"Starchy is the best sweeper in the kingdom. This old shaft will be as clean as a whistle when ol' Starchy's done with it!" He mused to himself, and walked farther down the tunnel. Starchy hummed as he swept the broom back and forth, taking slow even steps as his wiped dust and small rocks away.

After a few minutes Starchy stopped sweeping, and wiped his brow. "Starchy's arms are feeling a little limp." He sighed and leaned up against the nearest wall. "This would be the time when a spider would fall on Starchy's head unexpectedly and bite." Falling victim to his own fortune, a white spider fell from a web above him, and bit him viciously.

Panicking, Starchy roughly brushed all over himself. Failing to knock the spider off, he started to run about until he ran face first into a wall. He fell back with a thud, and rolled around on the ground until he heard the crunch of the arachnid's small body.

Starchy sat up, rubbed his swollen head, and looked up at where he had smacked head-long into the shaft wall. Some loose rocks were shifting and falling over the previously swept ground. With a 'hurumph' Starchy stood and started to move the rocks away. Soon more were falling, and it was clear to him that the area had collapsed at one time. After a little excavating, he was running back up the tunnel towards the Royal Palace.

Starchy yelled breathlessly as he ran, "Princess! Princess!"

 **I Found You**


	2. Chapter 2

Princess Bubblegum walked into the mine shaft where her workers were excavating. One led her through the maze of rocks and archaeologists, until they arrived at the main area being dug up. It had taken a few hours for her people to clear out a big enough area for her to makeshift a laboratory. A few instruments here and there to examine the wreckage. There had been a cave-in, as far as the Princess could see, but that was not what had caught her attention. What stood before her was a black coffin. It was covered with so much dust it almost looked gray, except in the areas where it had been touched by the workers.

Bubblegum pulled on some rubber gloves and called out to the excavators, "Everyone! I need you all to exit this area so I can experiment." She watched as her people obeyed, and left the site.

The pink Monarch went into scientist mode, and walked over to her tools. She sat down and tuned her heartbeat monitor. There was only one. Bubblegum rolled her chair down the table, and turned on her thermal reader. The coffin was not giving off any heat or containing any. These were both indicating that there was nothing alive in the wooden casket. There was most likely mummified remains inside. Bubblegum clenched her jaw. The only way she would find out was if she opened it up.

The Princess grabbed her notes, walked over to the coffin, and looked over its outside. It couldn't have been more than fifty years old. There was still a hint of clear polish near the underside of the lid. She wiped her gloved hand over its surface, making a swipe through the dust. She wrote down a few notes: _The casket has been underground for less than half a century. Surface shows slight decomposition due to being under ruble (rather than soil). A cave-in is a plausible cause for all the loose rocks. Though why this casket is here in the first place is still unknown._ Bubblegum set her notes down on a nearby table. If one of her citizen was in the coffin it could open up an investigation for Finn and Jake to handle. She was hoping it wouldn't come to that.

The Monarch turned back to the casket. "Please don't be one of mine," she mumbled and pried open the lid. It roughly popped from the base and swung open, creating a large dust cloud in the process. Coughing, Bubblegum waved her hand around so she could breath. Once the air settled she could see the person inside the casket.

"It's a woman," Bubblegum mumbled as she gazed in slight relief and wonder. The person inside was not made of candy. "She looks calm," she mused to herself and brushed dark locks of hair from the woman's face. "Interesting." Her skin was cold and a blueish-gray color. "I wonder why she's not-"

"Hey!"

Bubblegum jumped back in shock, "oh Glob!"

The woman had opened her eyes and now had a smile pulling at her lips. She stepped out of her coffin and stretched. "Man... how long was I out?" She yawned, showing sharp incisors, then looked around.

Bubblegum stared with disbelief. "A vampire." Her brow furrowed as she looked at the ground. "This can't be," she said, "all of the vampires were killed a long time ago."

Confusion spread over the woman's face as Bubblegum mumbled.

"Are you alright?" The woman asked and reached out a hand.

The Princess stepped back out of reflex. The woman pulled her hand back with a worried look.

"You must be the last vampire then?" Bubblegum asked while she took a few more steps back.

"Um, yeah." The woman's voice was gentle, "Look, I'm not going to hurt you."

Bubblegum studied her for a moment. "What's your name?"

"Marceline," she said frowning, "Marceline the Vampire Queen."

"It is an honor, Queen Marceline." Bubblegum stated.

"No need for formalities, Princess." Marceline said and ran a hand through her dark hair.

"How did you know I was a Princess?" Bubblegum raised an eyebrow at the stranger.

Marceline paused for a moment, "oh, it uh, it's the tiara. I just guessed." She motioned to her head as she spoke.

"Oh." Bubblegum couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something familiar about the woman. She watched Marceline's feet leave the ground. The vampire was floating and now observing her surroundings.

"There was a cave-in, I think," Bubblegum answered what she assumed Marceline was wondering. "My grounds keeper stumbled upon you." There was silence between them as Marceline scanned the area. "My name is Bonnibel," her voice cut through the quiet, "Bonnibel Bubblegum."

Marceline's eyes locked with her's with intensity. There was look to them that Bubblegum couldn't read. "It's a pleasure," she said, her voice low.

"Marceline, is there anyway I could take you back to my kingdom? I'd like to study your attributes in my laboratory."

"Uh, I guess so." The Queen shrugged and looked over her shoulder. "Hey!" She smiled and floated over to her coffin. "My bass!" Bubblegum hadn't noticed the red, double-sided ax-bass. It had been behind Marceline when she was in the casket. The dark haired girl strummed it, in return it sounded twangy and out of tune. Marceline grumbled as she tried to re-tune the strings.

"I may have some equipment that could help with that back in my lab," Bubblegum said.

"Alright, Bonnibel," The Queen sighed, "Let's go."

"Wonderful." Bubblegum smiled and led them out of the mine.

xXx

After a long and silent ride in the carriage, the Princess and the Queen had arrived in the Candy Kingdom. Bubblegum lead Marceline up to her laboratory, an awkward quiet hanging over them. Once at the door, she let the vampire in and sat her down in a chair near her desk.

"I'm going to examine your incisors first," Bubblegum pulled on gloves and grab a tongue depressor, "uh, if that's alright with you."

Marceline nodded. "How long is this going to take?" She asked before opening her mouth for the Monarch.

"A few hours I suppose." Bubblegum mumbled as she pressed the other girl's tongue down. She studied the sharpness of all her teeth. All of them were pointed; her incisors longer than the rest. Classic vampire fangs. "Do you have solenoglyphous fangs?"

"Uh..." Marceline's face scrunched up in a confused expression while the princess continued to study her mouth.

"Are your fangs hollow?" Bubblegum clarified, "can you suck fluids in through them?" She backed away so Marceline could speak.

"Yes, I can do that."

"Wonderful," the Princess stated and wrote in her note book.

Marceline watched her and sighed. "Anything else I can do for you, Princess?" She spoke in a quiet tone and tucked her hands into her lap.

"Actually yes. I'm going to have to ask you to remove your shirt." Bubblegum pointed at the vampire's chest.

Crimson eyes rolled and the Queen chuckled. "Come on, Bonnie. At least take me out to dinner first." Marceline stood and slipped off her shirt, revealing a black sports bra and a toned body.

The nickname the dark haired girl gave her rang in Bubblegum's head."Very funny, Queen Marceline," she smiled politely and stepped over to her, "I just need to examine your muscular structure."

"I told you I don't mind informality." The vampire's voice dropped, Bubblegum was now less than an arm's length away. "You can call me Marcy if you want."

The Princess smiled, "I'll uh, I'll just stick with Marceline." Holding strong eye contact again, the two were silent. Bubblegum was the first to break it. She looked down and cleared her throat. "Is it true that vampires can shapeshift?" Scientist mode was back on and Bubblegum was scanning over the other girl's torso. There were an awful lot of scars scattered on her grey skin.

"Not all," Marceline followed Bubblegum's eyes down near her navel, "only some."

"Where did these come from?" A pink finger lightly traced along a scar that ran diagonally down near her bellybutton.

"Those are a long story that I'd rather not get into right now." Marceline clenched her jaw and looked away.

"I didn't mean to bring up a touchy subject." Bubblegum spoke soft, trying to tread lightly. "Would it be possible to show me all our forms?"

"That would take quite awhile." Marceline looked passed her and read the clock on her desk. "It's kinda late, the sun is going to be up soon." She backed away from the younger girl. "I should probably go so I can get to my house before dawn."

Bubblegum turned to look at the clock. She hadn't realized that the excavation had taken so long. There were still a lot of things she wanted to examine before the vampire left, and if she let her go now, there was no telling if she'd even come back. "Well," Bubblegum chewed on her lip, "you could stay here for the night if you wanted. I'd really like to study more of you; you're the first vampire I've ever encountered."

Marceline's face dropped slightly, "right." She paused for a moment and swallowed thickly. "Okay. I'll uh- spend the night."

"Excellent." A grin spread across the Princess's face. "I'd like to observe your," she yawned mid-sentence, "levitation abilities now, if I may."

"Aren't you tired, Bonnie?" There was that nickname again. "Vampires don't really need to sleep that often. Candy people on the other hand."

"No no, I'm fine." Bubblegum waved a hand and walked to her desk. "I'm going to record more notes," she said as she sat down, yawning once more.

Marceline sighed with a smile and grabbed her shirt. "Can I at least put my shirt back on?" with the go-ahead from the pink scientist, she pulled the fabric back over her head. "Just so you know, I'm not really sure how my floaty powers work." The vampire lifted her feet and began to hover over the ground. She looked around the lab at all of the test tubes, vials and other complicated equipment. "It just kind of happens," she said. "I think up and then I go up. I don't really know how else to explain it." Marceline waited for an answer, and when there was none, she turned around to see Bubblegum asleep on top of her notes. "Oh, Bonnibel." She sighed and floated over to her. With ease she lifted the Monarch into her arms, scooping her up bridal style. Bubblegum grumbled a little and shifted in her arms so her head lay in the crook of Marceline's neck. The Queen opened the door and floated out into the hallway, carefully so as not to disturb the Princess.

"Marceline?" A small voice behind her rang out in the silent castle. She turned around to face the source.

"Peppermint." Marceline chewed on the inside of her cheek as he stared at her for a moment, and then looked at the sleeping girl in her arms.

Peppermint Butler's mouth formed a hard line before he spoke again. "Welcome back." His tone was not welcoming at all, though Marceline nodded in acknowledgment and watched as he turned on his heal. She watched him until he disappeared around a corner. Sighing, the Queen floated through the castle to Bubblegum's bedroom. She opened the door and glided to the bed. Marceline gently laid the other girl down and pulled the covers up to her chin. She lightly tucked a lock of pink hair behind Bubblegum's ear, studying the calmness on her face.

"Goodnight, my Princess," she murmured and turned to leave.

"Marcy, stay."

Marceline spun back around, her undead heart almost jumping into a beat. Though she was quickly deflated; Bubblegum was still asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Marceline sat on Bubblegum's windowsill deep in thought. She watched the moon fall closer to the horizon. What was going on? Why didn't Bonnie remember her? Why was she in a cave when she woke up? All of these questions raced through her mind as candy crickets chipped from the ground below.

Marceline looked over to Bubblegum who was turning over in her sleep. She seemed to be doing it a lot since the Queen had moved her. Marceline slid off her perch and walked over to the side of Bubblegum's bed. The younger girl's forehead gleamed in the moon light that was being cast into her room. Marceline gently swept the back of two fingers above her brow. She was in a cold sweat. _Must be a nightmare._ Marceline frowned and ran a hand through her dark hair. "Why don't you remember me?" She mumbled. The Vampire looked towards the door and clenched her jaw. Maybe Peppermint knew what was going on. Then again, he wasn't very found of her so there was a chance he wouldn't even tell her. Marceline sighed and floated over to the door. She opened and closed it quietly as not to disturb the sleeping princess. When she turned around she was greeted with a familiar face.

"Peppermint. You keep sneaking up on me." Marceline chuckled lightly, feeling extremely awkward. The Butler's face was uninviting. He did not respond to the comment and continued to stare at the Queen. Marceline rubbed the back of her neck, "I uh, was just coming to look for-"

"-What do you think your doing?" He asked, his expression the same.

"I don't understand." Marceline's voice was meek.

"Are you planning something?" He took a step towards her.

"What?" Marceline's brow furrowed in confusion, "look I don't even know what's going on, man. I thought maybe you could explain somethings for me." Her voice gained a defensive tone.

"The night you left I thought I'd never have to see your face again." Peppermint snarled, "You've got balls coming back after fifteen years."

Marceline's jaw dropped, her eyes expressed something close to horror. "Fifteen? I was out for fifteen years!?" She pressed both palms to her temples to keep what felt like her brain from exploding. "Oh Glob..."

Peppermint eyed the Vampire. "Wait, have you not been in the Nightosphere for fifteen years?"

"I never went the night I left!" Marceline was panicking at this point. "All I remember was going to my house to get a few things..." She looked down at the little candy man. "Ash was there," her voice cracked. "I don't know what happened after that."

"Marceline..." Peppermint's expression changed to deep concern.

"Peppermint," her voice shook, "why doesn't she remember me?" There were the first formations of tears in her eyes, the look on her face was still confusion.

The man clenched his jaw and paused for a moment. "Come with me." He walked passed her and began to lead them through the palace. They walked silently for a few moments until they reached the courtyard. The moon was almost set and the stars had begun to dim. These where the signs that first light was approaching. Peppermint sat down on a bench and motioned for the Queen to sit as well.

"Fifteen years ago. The night you were to leave for the Nightosphere. Princess Bubblegum cried for about three hours straight." Marceline lowered her head in guilt. "The next few weeks were extremely hard for her. She couldn't sleep, she couldn't eat, she was down right ill. The thought of you leaving crushed her constantly. She would have nightmares about you leaving over and over again. One night she couldn't take it anymore."

"No." Marceline looked to the Butler, tears rolled down her cheeks, "tell me she didn't."

"She erased her memories of you." His voice was gentle.

"I tried to come back," she was full on crying now, "I chose her. I didn't want to rule the Nightosphere. I didn't want to marry Ash. I chose her." Marceline wiped her cheeks. "Is there anyway to get them back? How do I make her remember me." Her voice and eyes were pleading.

Peppermint Butler placed a hand on the girl's knee. "Let me do some research. I'll let you know as soon as possible. For now, play along. I'm not sure what would happen if we tried to explain it to her."

Marceline sat quiet for a moment. "You know, I knew something was wrong immediately. She was scared of me at first. She was never afraid before now."

Peppermint sighed and looked up at the sky. The East was getting lighter by the minute. "Get some sleep. I'll find you once I know something."

The dark haired girl stood. "I've slept enough, I need something red."

"Whatever you prefer," Peppermint stood and began to walk back toward the castle, "there are plenty of red things in the royal kitchen. Help yourself," his voice was friendly for once.

She watched him disappear into the castle then set out for something to eat.

xXx

Princess Bubblegum jolted upright into a sitting position and looked around. Her breathing was heavy and cold sweat ran down her temple. She was in bed, the light of day was creeping into her bedroom. She glanced at her clock, it was close to noon. The Monarch wiped her clammy brow and tried to remember the events of the nightmare she had. Though the dream had already escaped her. She rolled out of bed with a reluctant sigh. Bubblegum walked to her closet and picked out a comfortable outfit for the day.

She had no scheduled meetings so her day was open for science or hobbies. These were the days she could develop a new type of candy citizen or hang out with Finn and Jake. These were her favorite. She walked into her bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. There were bags under her eyes. The Monarch sighed and picked up her toothbrush. As she scrubbed her teeth with choco-mint toothpaste she thought about what she wanted to do for the day. _Marceline is top priority. That is if she even stayed the night. I wonder how I got into bed._

Bubblegum spit into the sink. "I wonder where Marceline is," she mumbled to herself.

"I'm right here."

Bubblegum jumped, her eyes snapped to the bathtub. The shower curtain was pulled back to reveal Marceline laying there.

"Marceline?" Bubblegum was beyond confused as why the older girl was relaxing in the candy porcelain shower. "Why are you-" she paused, "did you sleep in there?"

"Well, Vampires don't really sleep during the night. We hardly have to sleep at all actually." Marceline began to float; she was no longer in the tub and was now in the air above it.

"Okay but why?" Bubblegum asked, still confused.

"I don't know," Marceline scratched her temple, "you fell asleep last night over your notes. I tucked you in and I didn't really know where to go."

Bubblegum's confused expression dropped. "You tucked me in last night?"

"Of course." Marceline tried to read the other girls face for some type of clue on what she was thinking about. She couldn't really pin it so she began to feel anxious. She cleared her throat and spoke again, "Anyway, I need to go to the bathroom. I'll go try to find one." The Vampire glided over to the door and disappeared.

Bubblegum scrunched her face up. "But we're in a bathroom," she said to herself. The Princess stared at the empty threshold for a moment then set out to find her butler.

"Pep Butt!" Bubblegum shouted down the halls of her palace, "Pep, where are you?"

"Here, my Lady." Peppermint came strutting around the corner in front of her. "What can I do for you?"

"I need to talk to you. In my lab."

The small man nodded and followed her into her laboratory. "What do you need to talk about?"

"Marceline." Bubblegum closed the door behind them and turned to face Peppermint. "She was in my bathroom this morning?" She said it like a question, still slightly confused. "She also tucked me in last night. Is that weird?"

Peppermint stood silent for a few moments. He had seen Marceline carry her out of the laboratory. He knew that wasn't abnormal. Marceline would do it constantly. Distract Bubblegum from her work, keep her up until first light, then tuck her in. She had the Princess practically nocturnal at one point. But she couldn't know. Not yet. They would have to be careful. Normal things that Marceline would do could be considered weird for a stranger; and that's what she was to her right now. "A stranger." Peppermint didn't realize he said it out loud until she responded.

"She is a stranger. Is it weird that I feel comfortable around her though?" Bubblegum was staring intently at him. He realized she was distressed but did not speak. "Pep, please say something I'm kind of freaking out about this."

The Butler sighed. "I don't think it's weird, my Lady. Vampires," he paused, "they live for very long periods of time, they meet a lot of people along the way. Maybe if a vampire has deemed you worthy of friendship they skip formalities and get right down to being friends." Peppermint Butler turned over a hand in a suggesting manner. "Maybe Queen Marceline has already deemed you worthy." The Princess was quiet for a moment and Peppermint hoped to Glob that could sound plausible enough.

"I suppose that's plausible." Bubblegum lifted a hand to her mouth as she thought.

Peppermint exhaled a breath he didn't know he'd been holding in.

"Maybe I should invite her to dinner. But I suppose that may be difficult considering the difference in diets..." she trailed off, deep in thought.

"Let me worry about that, Princess." The Butler smirked. "Dinner will be at eight. Let Queen Marceline know." He walked out of the door with a mission.

Bubblegum sighed and set out to find the other Monarch.


	4. Chapter 4

The Vampire Queen leaned against the shadowy doorway that lead into the courtyard. She lifted a candy cigarette to her mouth and held it between her lips. Marceline cupped the front of it and lit the end.

"Those are bad for you y'know."

Marceline turned around, the Princess walked up to her. The Vampire watched as she leaned against the opposite side of the door frame.

"Well, I'm dead so, y'know." Marceline took a very long drag, slightly to make a point but more so because she was extremely stressed out.

Bubblegum crossed her arms. "I found you not even twenty-four hours ago, where did you get a pack of cigs from?"

"A lady in your staff." The dark haired girl flicked the end of the filter to ash it. It had been the head chef actually. She recognized Marceline. She was the one that was always making red dishes for the Queen when she hung around. Marceline had tried to explain what was going on to the best of her ability (even though she was still at a loss). When she was finished the lady was silent for a few moments before she dug into her pocket and handed her a pack. The lady said nothing but Marceline was grateful for the gift.

Bubblegum watched as smoke curled around the other girls mouth when she exhaled. The Princess noted the lost expression on Marceline's face.

Timidly, Bubblegum broke the silence. "You are invited to dinner tonight." The other girl meet her eyes when she spoke. "It's at eight if you're interested."

The Queen gave a half smile, "I'll be there." Silence grew over them again. Marceline watched the smoke leave her mouth as her thoughts raced. _15 years, asleep for 15 years._ She still couldn't believe it.

"Are you alright?" Bubblegum's voice brought her back to the present moment.

"I'm not sure to be honest."

Bubblegum frowned, "Well, I know that this might take some time to resolve, but dinner may help."

Marceline looked at her while she spoke then looked at the space on the ground between them. "Thank you for your hospitality. You are very kind."

Bubblegum laughed, "It's the least I can do. I mean you should probably be under medical supervision for a few days. I'm not even sure how you survived that long without nutrition."

"Black magic."

"Ha. I don't believe in magic."

Marceline bit her tongue. Normally, she would respond with, _"yeah, Bonnie, I know,"_ but she remembered what Peppermint had told her. "You don't believe in magic?"

"Magic is science. Science that isn't well explained. Wizards use science without knowing how it works and call it magic."

"I see." Marceline smiled, Bonnibel was still endearing as ever.

Bubblegum chewed on her lip for a moment before speaking again. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Is it hard to keep friends? Being a vampire and all," her voice was gentle.

"Sometimes," Marceline dropped the butt of her cigarette and smothered it with the ball of her sole. "But sometimes you find people who live as long as you do and it makes up for it."

"That's sweet."

"Only if you choose wisely."

Bubblegum pressed her lips into a hard line, "what do you-"

"Princess!"

Both girls turned to see a royal servant walk up to them. "Forgive me, my Lady, your presence is requested in the Grand Hall. Finn and Jake are here."

xXx

Peppermint Butler walked up to the Candy Tavern that sat in the back alleys of the kingdom. The outside of it was rundown, it's candy walls cracked, and a window shattered. Loud noises came from inside the building.

His shoulders were draped in a maroon cape and a hat was pulled down to his brow. Peppermint shoved his hands into his pocket, took a breath and reminded himself to act casual. He walked through the swinging doors and scanned the scene quickly. The small man sat down at the bar and lifted a finger to flag down the waiter.

"Root-beer float please." He spoke quietly to the man and he obliged, giving him a tall mug. Peppermint Butler took a gulp of his drink as a figure in a dark cloak sat next to him.

"Thank you for meeting with me." Peppermint spoke but did not turn to the figure.

"One please."

Peppermint watched as the bartender poured chocolate syrup into a shot glass and slid it to the Huntress Wizard.

"Has the news reached past the walls yet?"

Huntress Wizard threw back the syrup and slammed the glass onto the bar. "If you pull the Vampire Queen from her grave, there will be talk and it will spread."

The Butler frowned and continued to watch the bubbles pop from the top of his drink.

"There was a time when the Queen could walk freely between both worlds. But time has healed no wounds and the Nightosphere wants both worlds still."

Peppermint took another sip of root-beer, "I saw her the night she was meant to go back to the Nightosphere. The Vampire Queen was to be wedded to the leader of a group of Overworld rebels. To solidify the relationship between the Dark Wizards and the Nightosphere's Royalty. They had a plan to throw Ooo into chaos. They would unleash hell onto the Overworld and claim it as their own."

"You are correct." The Wizard flagged the waiter for another shot. She spoke as he poured, "Many people knew the Queen was not in love with the rebel leader. Say what you will about morals. Why else would she hide the amulet?"

"The Nightosphere Amulet." Peppermint echoed, thinking deeply as he tried to remember the events of the day. Hudson Abadeer had given Marceline the amulet a few days prior to the arranged ceremony. She was to give it to Ash. Let him become filled with hatred and power lust.

Peppermint sneered, like that boy needed more of that.

"The person in control of the amulet is in control of the Underworld. Without it, there is not ruler and no chance to expand the chaos out of the confinement of the other dimension." Marceline had told them her father was getting tired of ruling only the Nightosphere's dimension. He had called it 'remodeling and expansion'.

"Where is it now?" The candy man asked.

"No one but the Queen knows."

"And the rebel leader?"

"Ash?"

The name made Peppermint scoff.

"Sorry but anymore information is going to cost you more, and upfront."

The Butler huffed and slid a small bag of gold in front of her. She tucked it into her cloak and continued to speak.

"He has been living in Wizard City, hanging low, waiting."

"What is he waiting for?" Peppermint took a swig of his drink.

"Yesterday." For the first time during their conversation Huntress Wizard meet eyes with him.

"I don't understand."

"When the Queen wakes up, the amulet is no longer lost."

Peppermint's brow furrowed, "why did he put her to sleep in the first place then?"

Huntress Wizard chuckled and shook her head. "Some will say the Queen declined the throne because of not being truly chaotic evil. I believe there was different reason."

"She didn't love him." Peppermint was putting the pieces together now. Marceline's actions where starting to make sense.

The night she went to visit her father was when it all started. She had come back to the castle after he gave her the talisman. Marceline said he was going to marry her off 'one way or another'. Obviously Bubblegum was not happy, and Peppermint could still remember the look on the Queen's face as she clutched the amulet in silence. Marceline was gone for most of the next day. When she returned she claimed that she had meet with her father. That she refused. Bubblegum was overjoyed and they spent the next few hours together. But at some point in the night, Marceline was no where to be found and after an hour or two the Princess assumed the worst. "We thought she changed her mind." Peppermint spoke with a frown hanging on his lips.

"Ash had been watching the Queen's every movement. He knew what she held dear to her. Apparently the rumors were true."

"So what you're telling me is that Ash would rather wait fifteen years for the amulet and Marceline to resurface just to get revenge on her for not loving him."

"The revenge plot isn't over if the whispers are right." The Wizard took her shot and stood.

Peppermint pulled out a medium size bag of gold coins out of his pocket and tossed it over. "Thank you for the information."

"Thank you for the gold," she said as she walked out of the tavern.


	5. Chapter 5

_In advance I'd like to apologize for any grammar/spelling errors and the other oddities hidden throughout my chapters. I usually write very late at night and I don't have a beta, so I'm stuck checking my own work. I will continue to read back through the chapters and fix anything weird that I can find. So don't be surprised if a line or two are rearranged. Also, Bubbline is coming up so bear with me. Enjoy._

* * *

Marceline stood behind Bubblegum after introductions had been exchanged. She eyed Finn and Jake, making a mental note of the yellow dog's uneasiness. Apparently Bonnibel had found herself a few champions while she was away. The boy was going on about something Marceline could care less about so she let her eyes wander around their surroundings. They were in the Grand Hall, the main entrance to the castle. Her eyes followed the grooves in the rock candy floor, and made her way up the pink walls. It's high ceilings left the room feeling very spacious. Marceline found herself floating a few inches off the floor when she looked back down. She shifted her gaze to Finn and Jake, the boy was still talking but he seemed to be worried.

"I don't know," he scratched his head through his white bear hat, "Ice King told us so it's possible that it's actually nothing serious."

"Wait," Marceline spoke up, "you know Simon?"

"Who?" Finn raised an eyebrow at her.

"I mean the Ice King."

"I'm pretty sure every princess in Ooo knows him," Bubblegum chuckled. Though Marceline didn't understand why and was getting tired of being confused.

"Princess, I think it's worth checking out." It was Jake who brought them back on topic. "I don't know why the IK would make up stories about gang activity. That's just strange."

"Hm." Bubblegum rubbed her chin in thought for a moment. "You're right, Jake. If groups of Wizards are going to start trouble I don't want it to become an issue within the Kingdom. Thank you for alerting me, I'll bring it up to the other royal members of Ooo the next time there is a meeting."

"Anytime, Princess." Finn smiled, "nice meeting you Marceline."

"Back at ya." She half smiled out of politeness and made sure to make extra long eye contact with Jake to make him squirm. The dark haired girl watched them leave and made a mental effort to not forget their names.

Marceline turned to Bubblegum, "So, gang activity? What's all that about?" The Queen hadn't actually listened to the full conversation but this sounded like something she and Peppermint should probably know about.

"I'm not sure." Bubblegum had a stern look on her face. "There's always some underground and black market activity going on in Wizard City. Most of the time it stays within the city limits and doesn't disturb any other surrounding kingdoms. But if Ice King is talking about it then literally every other Wizard should know."

"I don't understand."

"Well Ice King isn't really known for keeping secrets, and that's sort of the foundation of the city."

"I see." Marceline hoped Peppermint would be back soon and that he knew more about the situation. The Queen was starting to feel unsettled.

xXx

Eight o'clock rolled around and Marceline was starting to feel hungry again. Bubblegum had stirred up her apatite by making her exercise. She had agreed to let the Princess study her more and it nearly took all day. Tons of being hooked up to equipment, lifting things, running, poking and prodding. Most of the time Marceline watched Bubblegum take notes. They didn't talk much, even though the Queen was dying to have a meaningful conversation with her.

At this point they had been sitting in silence for about three minutes at the dinner table. Each of them sat at either end, awkwardly waiting for their food. Marceline disliked the distance between them.

"So uh," Bubblegum spoke softly, her tone matching the candle lit atmosphere, "I really appreciate you letting me examine you."

Marceline smiled, relieved that the other girl had finally said something. "No problem. Playing lab rat isn't too difficult."

Bubblegum giggled, "Well usually I'm studying some type of candy specimen so it's nice to have something other than liquorish to look at."

Marceline watched shadows dance along the Monarch's features as she smiled."I guess that could get boring after a while. Have you studied any other species?"

"Only a few, zombies were one of them, though they'd probably be more of a subspecies."

"Zombies?" That was new.

"Yeah, remember Finn from earlier? Well, we sort of accidentally infected about half of the candy citizen with this decorpsinator serum. Long story short we fought some zombies and turned everyone back to normal."

"Wow." Marceline smirked, "I'm impressed, Princess. The Undead are none to mess with. Corpses don't fear. They don't feel. That makes them formidable opponents and excellent soldiers."

"Would you say the Undead are as fearless as their Queen?"

"Eh, I don't know," Marceline said, letting her smirk fall slightly, "vampires feel."

"Well, according to the numbers we collected today, you'd put up a pretty decent fight." Bubblegum tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "At least I wouldn't want to mess with you."

"And I wouldn't want to hurt you so I guess we're even." She grinned at the other girl who was playing with her hair again.

"Maybe so, but I do have to warn you, I've had some hand-to-hand combat experience."

This was new to Marceline as well. "Hm." She put her hand up to her chin playfully, "I guess we'll have to settle this. A fight to the death it is."

Both girls laughed as the doors to the kitchen swung open. Peppermint Butler led a small line of candy people in white uniforms to the side of the table. A few carried china and silverware, while the other carried the food. They set it down in front of the them, poured strawberry juice into their glasses, then left without saying a word. Peppermint Butler placed a cloth napkin next to Bubblegum's plate, then rounded the table to place one near Marceline.

As the dark haired girl said her thanks, she realized he had dropped a small folded piece of paper into her lap. She waited until the Peppermint was talking to Bubblegum to read it. It said: _I have some new information. Enjoy your dinner. Meet me in the court yard afterward._ She looked up right as their conversation ended and caught Peppermint's gaze. They exchanged an acknowledging look before he left the room.

"Alright," the Princess leaned over to take the metal top off the plate of their main dish. It was a brilliantly prepared pasta that was smothered with a rich crimson tomato sauce. "I didn't know vampires could eat spaghetti." She stated as she scooped a handful onto her plate.

"Actually," Marceline spoke as she scoop some of her own, "I can eat the color red." She twisted her fork into the food and raised it to her teeth. The red pigment crawled up from the sauce and left the physical matter a light grey.

"You are just full of surprises," Bubblegum giggled.

Marceline smiled but it fell as soon as the Princess was focused on her food. "Full of surprises," she repeated under her breath.

xXx

Dinner went smoothly and Marceline was happy to catch up on somethings that she hadn't been around to witness. They had talked about things she had already know about as well, though, like Peppermint told her, she played dumb. In the end she had thanked Bubblegum for the meal and excused herself so that she could find Peppermint Butler.

"How was dinner?" he asked as she floated up the path toward him. He was sitting on the same bench that they had sat on the previous night. She sat down next to him and took a moment to look up at the night sky before she answered.

"It went well." And it had, she enjoyed it. But the weight of the situation felt like it was clinging to her back, pulling her shoulders down into a slumped posture.

"Good."

Marceline sighed, "Are you going to tell me you have good news and bad news now?"

"Eh." Peppermint folded his hands in his lap, "Not exactly. It's not that great. Actually it's pretty bad."

"Shit," Marceline grumbled, "alright, hit me with it."

"Ash," he paused, "did this to punish you, and he's been waiting for you to wake up. He still wants the amulet. He still wants everything."

"I figured," Marceline said, running her fingers through her hair, "there's been gang activity flaring up in Wizard City. I guessed it was him."

Peppermint sat and thought for a moment, "You should probably be careful when you leave the kingdom. Ash has spies everywhere. I wouldn't go back to your house if I were you."

Marceline frowned. "Did you figure out anything about the memory loss?"

"Not yet sadly. I only know this information because of the Huntress Wizard. I gave her a ton of gold."

"Huntress Wizard," the Queen echoed. She was notorious for remaining neutral when everything first started to go down. She made a ton of profit from going back and forth between sides, selling secrets. "Be careful with that one."

"No kidding." Peppermint gave a displeased huff. "How are you doing?"

"I don't know. Okay I guess." She looked up to a lit up window in one of the taller towers of the castle. Experience reminded her that it was Bubblegum's room. "Knowing everything about a person when they know nothing about you, it's like almost intruding." Marceline bowed her head. "I feel like the night I left was only a few days ago. But to you, to her..." She sighed, "To love someone that doesn't even know you. That doesn't remember you..." The vampire balled her hands into fists and growled in frustration, "I'm going to kill him. I'm going to cut his head off I swear to Grod."

"Give it some time," he said, trying to calm her down. "I mean Bubblegum has always been infatuated with you, from the first to the second time you've met. I wouldn't doubt if you stick around it'd happen again."

She gave him an appreciative smile, "Thanks, Pep." Marceline ran her fingers up her temples and massaged herself. "I think... I think I need some alone time. To sort through this stuff, self-care style."

"Alright," Peppermint stood and turned to face her, "I'll be in my chambers if you need anything."

Marceline nodded and watched him walk into the castle. After he was gone she laid her back across the seat of the bench and stared into the sky. "Time doesn't exist." The vampire muttered to herself—almost trying to convince herself—as she thought about how small the stars made her feel. "Time is not real." She repeated. How else could fifteen years feel like being asleep for only two days?

Marceline lifted a hand up above her face, palm down. She flexed her fingers and balled them into a fist a few times. Just to make sure she was real. Stretch, squeeze, stretch, squeeze, slow stretch, long squeeze. The Monarch sighed and let her open palm fall to her face. She was real alright. Marceline let her arm relax at her side and turned her head to Bubblegum's window. Her lights were out.

Old habits die hard. She floated off the bench and into the air circling upward toward the other girl's room. Marceline landed softly on the roof. Sitting crisscross, she took a deep breath in. The air was cool and refreshing in her lungs. It was a beautiful, clear, summer night. Keeping her eyes on the moon she listened to candy crickets chirp. After a few minutes she noticed they fell into a beat. Marceline began to hum with the rhythm and it wasn't long before lyrics were flowing. She closed her eyes and began to sing melodically.

 _"What can I do?  
Time will unbind our memory glue  
And I'll be as nobody-ish as all of you  
So don't care about a thing now_

 _Like a trash bag when it's windy out  
Like a butt that has a face  
Hot boxing up the palace  
Yeah, girl, it stinks_

 _Do-do-do-do-do-do-do"_

Marceline huffed and rested her head in her hands. She didn't wanna think about this anymore. The vampire lifted off the roof and landed softly in front of the nearest entrance to the castle. She shoved her hands into her pockets as she walked through the candy corridors. Bubblegum had offered her a guest room during dinner and told her she could stay for as long as she'd like.

At this point the dark haired girl would like only to hold Bonnibel underneath her covers. To kiss her, make her feel safe, share her body heat, and tell her how much she loved her. But that wouldn't be happening for a while and maybe even ever. Marceline stopped at the closed door and let her forehead fall into it with a thud, almost to banish her previous thoughts. Reluctantly, she opened the door to the empty room, locked it behind her and cut the lights. The Vampire Queen reveled in the darkness for a while before the sun rose then drifted off to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Bubblegum woke slowly to the caress of a soft thumb on her cheek. It was dark in her room, everything was grey. Except for a pair of deep crimson irises, almost glowing in the low light. She felt a weight on the bed next to her and reached up to touch the wrist that the thumb belonged to.

"Marcy." The princess spoke with slumber drenched over her.

Marceline slid closer to her side and used the hand already on her jawline to pull her forehead into her lips. She placed a light kiss just above her brow. "My princess," she mumbled against her skin. The older girl moved away and dipped her mouth to her nose, then to her lips, placing delicate kisses that Bubblegum gladly leaned into. "Wanna see something cool?"

The pink haired monarch nodded. She let Marceline pull her from under her sheets and locked her arms around the vampire's neck, ready to be lifted into the air. She felt Marceline hold her tight around the waist as they glided out of the bedroom window. They flew up high into the night sky. Once they were hovering, the queen shifted her legs so that Bubblegum could wrap her's around her torso and sit on her lap.

"Look up." Marceline pointed upward.

Above them, hundreds of meteors were streaking through the atmosphere. All of them leaving bright trails behind them. They all flowed in the same direction, covering the sky in flashing lines.

Bubblegum let her jaw slack into an open-mouthed smile. "Marcy..." she trailed off, and leaned her head back farther to get the best view. "It's beautiful," she said as cool, lingering kisses trailed up from the base of her neck. Absentmindedly, she tangled a hand within Marceline's hair.

"Not as beautiful as you," the other girl murmured and sucked lightly on her pulse point. "My princess," she moved up, placing a kiss on her jaw, "my love."

Bubblegum leaned forward to connect their foreheads and brushed her lips against Marceline's. "My queen," she whispered and wrapped both arms around the back of her neck to kiss her deeply. "My love."

Bubblegum's eyes snapped open. She looked around her dark room confused for a moment, then felt heat creep into her face. The monarch closed her eyes and could still see crimson irises looking back at her. _My love._ It echoed through her mind, her chest continued to flutter. The level of intimacy in the dream left her head euphoric with affection for a few moments longer. After taking a breath she was awake enough to think clearly. _What was that?_ She wondered, running a hand through her messy hair. Looking to her alarm clock, Bubblegum realized it was still late. There was a couple more hours before the sun came up. It was too much time to stay awake until first light so she laid back down. Wrapping her blankets around her shoulders, she closed her eyes until the image of meteors showering over Earth were washed over by lethargy.

xXx

It was around noon when Bubblegum knocked on the door to Marceline's room. She rasped her knuckles three times against the candy wood before calling her name. "Marceline? Are you awake?" There was silence for a moment then the door opened. The vampire squinted at her, trying to keep the light out of her eyes.

"Come in," she said and back stepped out of the hall's shine.

Bubblegum moved into the dimly lit room and cut the rays behind her by closing the door. The only light left was the midday sun threatening to shine throw the window's dark shades. Now Marceline was no longer squinting. The princess stared into a crimson gaze, identical to the one in her dream.

"What's going on, Bonnie?" Marceline pressed the heal of her palm into her right eye and rubbed the drowse out.

"I uh..." she cleared her throat, "wanted to see if you'd like to accompany me to the market today." She broke their eye contact and looked at the backlit window shades. The princess was thankful for Marceline's shyness to light, it hid the burn in her cheeks. Her neck tingled, she remembered how the vampire's lips had felt there. The way she had spoken to her. _My love. My love._ Bubblegum pushed the thoughts aside.

"Yeah, sure." Marceline smiled, "But I'll get burnt if I go out like this," she looked down at herself the short sleeves of her shirt wouldn't protect the skin on her arms.

"I can lend you a cloak if that would help," Bubblegum offered.

"Okay," Marceline ran a hand through her bedhead, "that could probably work."

Bubblegum felt herself smile.

After they had found proper skin protection and fought worried looks from Peppermint Butler, Marceline strapped her ax to her back and they headed out into the light of day. The queen offered to fly them to the market but Bubblegum declined, claiming she was afraid of heights, even though her heart had jumped with excitement. She took a breath to shake it off.

The two walked to the neighboring kingdom and held idle conversation. "I'm just saying, Marceline lifted two gloved hands, palms forward, "if a tomato is a fruit, then ketchup is a smoothie."

Bubblegum looked at the ground and laughed, "Okay, okay. By that logic," she paused to think, "Lobsters are like ocean scorpions."

Marceline laughed from underneath her hood, "That's exactly what they are, Bonnie."

The princess smiled at the other girl as they neared the rows of merchant stands.

"So what are we here for?" the queen asked, looking around at the Grass Land people and their goods.

"I wanted to buy some fresh strawberries. I come here a lot for them actually." Bubblegum lead them toward the hand drawn sign: _Fresh Berries! Best strawberries in the Kingdom!_

"Nice, I love that shade of red." Marceline landed next to the princess as she exchanged a few pieces of gold for a carton of the plump fruit. She handed one to Marceline, who sucked it dry under the safety of her cloak's shade. Bubblegum bit into her own berry as they walked near a large oak tree standing near the fruit stand.

"These are really good, Bonnibel. Let me have another one."

The monarch took a step forward to offer more berries, but found herself tripped up by the tree's large roots, and on the ground with one hand and a knee. _Thuck._ Bubblegum looked up and saw an arrow lodge into the bark where her heart had approximately been a second ago. Her eyes widened and she looked up at Marceline.

Fear and rage mixed in the vampire's eyes as she lifted the ax off her back. Bubblegum followed her fierce glare and saw a man, no more than thirty feet away, ready his bow at them again. At a speed to fast for the eye to catch, Marceline swung her ax low as he released, sending the arrow away at a different angle with a distinct _chink_ of metal on metal.

Bubblegum stood and watched Marceline sprint forward in a flash, her hood flying back from the speed, her ax raised. She went to bring it down onto the man but he tucked and rolled under it. He popped back up and drew an arrow back for a pointblank shot. Marceline backhanded the man's weapon from his grip, and dropped her ax into the man's left clavicle at a forty-five, forcing it down to the middle of his sternum.

People were screaming at this point. Marceline kept her blade sunk deep into the man's flesh until red liquid had frothed over his bottom lip. After she was sure he could no longer do any harm, she used the bottom of her boot to push his drooping body off the edge of her blade. He fell limp to the ground.

Bubblegum's breath caught in her throat. Her heart pounded in her ears as she tried to walk toward Marceline. The queen's chest rose and fell heavily as she stood over the attacker.

"M-Marceline?" she managed some how, the urge to vomit growing steadily.

Marceline turned, her expression now worry. The princess winced, blood had splashed a good portion of pale girl's face. Quickly, Marceline shouldered her ax and placed her hands along the princess's jawline, under her ears. The dark haired girl's eyes darted back and forth, "Are you alright?"

Bubblegum's realized that places on Marceline's face and neck were starting to sizzle. Dark spots of burnt flesh started to form. With weak hands she pulled her hood up to stop the smoke from rising off the vampire's skin. "Marceline."

"Did you get hit?" the queen spoke again, clearly more concerned with Bubblegum's safety over her own.

The pink monarch placed both hands on top of Marceline's and closed her eyes. "No," she swallowed thickly, trying to keep her adrenaline at bay.

Marceline spoke sternly, "Bonnie, I need to get you out of here."

She nodded with her eyes still closed and let Marceline lift her into the sky.

xXx

They had been flying for a while. Bubblegum sat bridal style in Marceline's arms, her hands balled into fists in the vampire's cloak. The image of ax blades cut at her mind's eye. She shivered. "Marceline?"

"Yeah, Bonnie?"

"Can we—can we stop for a second?"

Marceline slowed to a stop and pulled her knees forward so she could sit Bubblegum in her lap. The princess timidly wrapped her arms around the older girl's neck for stability. She forced away a blush from spreading over her nose. Their proximity was almost identical to her dream, she kept her eyes in her lap.

"Are you alright?" she forced herself to look up but she was not met by crimson irises. Marceline's head hung low.

"I—" she spoke and tried to meet the pink girl's eyes but could not, "I'm so sorry. This, this is all my fault."

"Marceline, what are you even talking about." Bubblegum used a hand to lift her gaze. The blood on her face had started to dry, maroon splotches that had begun to coagulate splattered her rightmost side.

Marceline breathed out heavily and turned into the princess's hand somewhat, "I'm the reason that guy attacked us. I saw his tattoos when I stood over him. He was a Dark Wizard. He was apart of the reason why I was in the ground. Now that I'm out I'm—" she choked a bit, "I'm putting you in danger."

"But you protected me. You kept me from getting hurt." Bubblegum saw the guilt that shrouded her eyes. "That's all that matters. At the very least I should be thanking you. Glob, Marceline, I could even knight you for this."

Marceline chuckled despite herself, "Maybe in another life time, Princess."

Bubblegum smiled weakly and was silent for a moment. "We should get back to the palace. I need to inform Grass Land royalty of what happened."

Marceline nodded in agreement and resumed her flight.

xXx

As soon as they touched ground, Peppermint was white in the face, his red stripes almost pink. "What happened?" He ran up to them in a panic.

"I need to report this right away." Bubblegum's stated as she walked away from the other two.

"Don't worry Peppermint, this blood doesn't belong to either of us. I had to—" Marceline paused, not wanting to say it out loud, "I uh, stopped, this guy from hurting us. He was an archer, a Dark Wizard."

"I told you this would happen, Marceline." Peppermint's fear had been replaced with rising anger. "I told you going outside of the walls wasn't safe. You're putting both of your lives at risk!"

Marceline growled, "It's not like I asked for this, Peppermint. I didn't paint a bulls-eye on my chest and jump around at him!"

Peppermint groaned in frustration. "Being the Vampire Queen already puts a target on your back!"

She scuffed. "Bonnie is in just as much danger as I am," she jabbed a finger at him, "if not, more so. That arrow was aimed at her chest. Not mine. If I hadn't been there..." Marceline trailed off, not wanting to think about what would have happened. She sighed heavily and they were quiet for a moment.

"Marceline, I—I'm sorry." The butler looked to the ground when he spoke, "It's just—she's my princess."

"She's my princess too," Marceline mumbled and walked past him, trailing Bubblegum.


End file.
